Transmission mechanism.



' PATENTED MAY 5, 1908.

L. E. MAHOUT. TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

9 mm X w m m 0 z.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca., WASHINGTON, n. c,

PATENTED MAY 5, 1908.

L. E. MAHOUT. TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ms nouns-puns c 0., WASHINGTON, 0. c4

No. 887,001. PATENTED MAY 5, 1908. ,L. B. MAHOUT.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1906.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

m M m V M A Train/5X5 LOUIS ERNEST MAI-IOUT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Application filed January 22, 1906. Serial No. 297,193.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS ERNEST MAHoUT, of 10 Rue Leopold Robert, inthe city of Paris, Republic of France, have invented an ImprovedTransmission Mechanism.

As it is known, the transmission of motion by means of gears has thegreat disadvantage of consuming more than a third and often half themotive power, on the other hand, the speed transformers with moving gearare heavy, expensive, cumbersome and the clutches employed with gearsalways pro duce to some extent shocks causing arapid wear and adisagreeable noise to take place; further so the number of speeds ismuch restricted;.it results therefrom that a run on different kinds ofroads causes fatigue due to the varying speeds resorted to at very smallintervals of time, and that almost all the time the motor operates inbad conditions, works hard or runs too fast and becomes heated.Therefore the change of speed by means of gears is inconvenient,expensive and dangerous.

Experiments have been made in order to obtain progressive speeds by theuse of cones located opposite to one another and of belts but heretoforethis mode of transmission has not given good results for followingreasons: The small linear speed of the belt, the inclination andrelative position of the cones, the arrangement of axes near to oneanother allow but an insufiicient adherence. For instance, belts aregenerally run with one side only on each cone and as a consequence theydo not adhere sufficiently to the cones, but are apt to slip easily,whereby their efficiency is im paired. Further, in consequence of theslight adhesion of the belts it is necessary that the cones should havesurfaces but slightly inclined, and should therefore be of considerablelength, the cones being consequently cumbersome and heavy and capablemoreover of permitting only inconsiderable variations of speed. Besides,since each side of the belt works alternately from the greatest diameterof the cone with which it is in contact, it follows that the belt issubjected to a considerable twisting strain, whereby loss in power iscaused, as well as elongation and rapid wear of the belt. Furthermore,in the transmission by means of cones, as the latter are always strictlyin front of one another, and as the flat belt always tends to work inthe direction of the greatest diameter, it follows that the said beltconstantly bears against the guiding forks whereby loss in power, aswell as elongation and rapid wear of the belt are caused.

It is further to be observed that inthe ordinary transmissions by meansof cones and belts, the receiving cone is supported from an intermediateshaft and transmits its motion to the shaft of the differential by meansof gears and chains.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the transmission ofmotion with progressive speeds by means of cones and belts doing awaywith the above mentioned disadvantages. This system of transmission isessentially characterized by following fea tures:

1st. The relative osition of the cones which are shifted so that t 1ebelt will run in a position of equilibrium without requiring any guidingand consequently without friction.

2nd. The use ofa crossed belt of trapezoidal section adapted to presentan inclined working face in order to compensate for the inclination ofthe cones. All points on the internal surfaces of the belt which are incontact with the cones have therefore always the same linear speed asthe points on the surfaces of the cones with which they come intocontact, so that neither slip, not torsion of the belt occurs, andfurther, the outer surface of the belt remains parallel with the axle ofthe cones and thus insures a uniform grip throughout the whole width ofthe belt. Consequently the belt normally performs work throughout itsentire width and is not submitted to any lateral force whichwould tendto cause it to slip over the cones. Cones may therefore be employedwhereof the angle is wider than heretofore and consequently a greaterrange of variation in speed than that obtainable with the ordinary beltand cone transmission, is available with cones of smaller dimensions.

3rd. The direct drive of the differential by a pinion firmly secured tothe receiving cone for the purpose of doing away with any intermediatepart using unnecessary power.

4th. The use of a double clutch with gripping dogs for transmitting themotion to the motive cone for the purpose of obtaining a. progressivegripping when starting and the absolute transmission of the motivestrain after starting.

In the accompanying drawing, which illuscone having gripping dogs d nearits center said cone 0 being capable of longitudinal movement on theshaft 6, but carrying said shaft with it during its rotation. The cone 0is received within a recessed fly-wheel e having an internally conicalsurface against which the cone 0 may be caused to abut, said fiy-wheelbeing keyed upon shaft f of the engaged from the fly-wheel e. pressureto the pedal n the driver shifts cone gine g, and rovided internallywith dogs h with which t e dogs d of cone 0 are adapted to engage. Theshifting of cone 0 longitudinally of shaft 6 is controlled by a fork 71having a cranked arm 9' connected by a rod 7c to an arm Z keyed on shaftm which carries a pedal n and a hand lever 0. In its intermediateposition the cone 0 is completely disen- By applying 0 in the directionof the arrow in Fig. 1, thereby causing the engagement of said cone withthe internal conical surface of the flywheel c; the engine being thuscaused to en age with Gone a progressively by means of a friction clutchformed by the conical surfaces of fly-wheel e and the cone 0. .VVhen thevehicle has been started the driver moves lever 0 so as to shift cone 0in the reverse direction, thus freein it from the conical surface of thefly-whee e and throwing the dogs d and it into engagement. with oneanother, so that the power of the engine is trans- -mitted through apositive clutch without loss.

The engagements of the dogs d and h is effected without any shock ornoise, since it occurs when both series of dogs are traveling atapproximately the same angular velocity, or more strictly speaking, whendogs (Z are traveling at but a slightly lower speed than dogs h; thisdifference in speed which results from the short interval ofdisengagement which occurs during the change from one gear to the other,insures that the dogs (i, even if they should be opposite dogs 7L, shallengage therewith. Nevertheless, the difference in speed is so slight asto allow of the engagement being effected without noise. Thedouble'clutch can be located as shown in Fig.

' '3 at the end opposed to the motor in order to have only a singleshaft and to avoid the cumbersome use of a supplementary flywheel. Conea transmits the movement which it receives to a cone p keyed on shaft 9mounted at the other extremity of the chassis, by means of a crossedbelt x of trapezoidal section having an inclined face for compensatingthe inclination of the cones; this trapezoidal belt may be made of anysuitable material and constituted by leather straps, juxtaposed workingedgewise and connected together by transverse rivets.

In order that the belt may move easily to take up its position ofequilibrium, the two cones a and p are not situated directly opposite toone another but are set out of line as will be seen in Fig. 1. The rearcone 1) is provided with regulating mechanism whereby it may be shiftedlaterally along shaft q, so that the belt may take up its position ofequilibrium and operate without rubbing against the fork which controlsits movement along the cones. In order to permit of the greatestpossible distance being maintained between cones a and p and to therebyincrease the efficiency of the transmission mechanism, the front axlemight be cranked towards the for ward part of the vehicle as seen inFig. 1.

The shaft 1 of the driven cone drives the differential direct by thefollowing means: A sleeve r is mounted so as to slide on said shaft gand to be carried round thereby during its rotation; said sleeve 7'carries two pinions r 1' of different diameters which are adapted to bebrought into gear with toothed wheels 5 8 carried by the differential smounted on axle t; the ratio of the teeth of pinion r to those of wheel8 being (say) as 1 to 4 and the ratio of the teeth of pinion 1' to thoseof wheel 8 being (say) as 1 to 7, so as to allow of the transmittion ofa low speed. The range of variation in speed given by the cones isincreased by engaging either pinion r with wheel 8 or pinion r withwheel 8 The same result might be obtained if the pinions r 1 were bothmounted free on shaft 1 which would be provided with a clutch havingdogs capable of engagement with one or other of these pinions asdesired. Theefflciency of 105 the cones is thus doubled and the closepacking together of the parts is diminished by one half, notwithstandingthat the extreme diameters differ but slightly. Further, the linearspeed of the belt being by reason of this arrangement greater thanheretofore, the efficiency of this transmission is superior, since thecoefficient of adhesion of the belt in creases considerably with thespeed. Again, the fact that the pinions 1' r may be disengaged from thetoothed wheels 8 s of the differential enables the driving axle to runfree. Consequently when descending easy gradients the transmissionmechanism will no longer, as hitherto, create a passive resistance tothe progress of the vehicle.

The invention further comprises reversing -mechanism constructed asfollows: A conical ring of teeth with which two pinions o,

grouped about and meshing with a toothed wheel w keyed on. shaft 9, arein gear.

In light vehicles, the backward run can be done away as well as thespeed change gear. In this case, the axle of the conical drum p willsimply carry a pinion meshing directly with the external toothed wheel 5of the differential. This mechanism operates in the following manner:Assuming the engine to have been started, the driver sets the vehiclegradually in motion by means of the friction clutch which he operates byapplying pres sure to pedal n. This has for effect to bring the frictioncone 0 into contact with the con.- ical internal surface of thefly-wheel e of the engine. When the driving cone a has attained the samespeed as the engine shaft the driver operates lever 0 so as to bring thedogs (1 into gear with dogs h of fly-wheel c; the driving cone a is thenrotated by the engine shaft, the friction clutch being employed only 1in starting. The shifting of the belt along cones a and p, combined withthe engagement of one or other of pinions r 7' with the toothed wheels 8s of the differential, will give an uninterrupted series of progressivespeeds with a direct drive at all of them.

In order to maintain the engine at its maximum efficiency, which is alsothe most economical condition of working, the driver has only to give itonce for all its normal feed and thus establishing the dynamic couple.He will then only have to proportion the couple resisting the dynamiccouple, in accordance with the contour of the road, which he does byshifting the belt along the cones. When running, therefore, the speed ofthe vehicle is regulated by means of a single hand lever which may besituated below the steering wheel conveniently near at hand, and whichis adapted to operate the fork that controls the belt.

l/Vhen the driver desires to stop and to reverse the car, instead ofdisengaging the clutch, he has only to shift the belt towards thesmaller end of cone a so as to slacken the speed of the car, and, when.the belt bridges cone y) and pulley u, so these members cause shaft (1to turn in opposite directions, it follows that first of all the vehicleis braked and then stopped. By further shifting the belt in the samedirection, so as to transfer it completely on to pulley u, the car isreversed.

It will thus be seen that the simple shifting of the belt from the oneto the other end of cone a in the proper direction, produces aprogressive diminution in the speed of the car, then stops it, andfinally reverses it. Then reversing, the linear speed of the belt is afunction only of the diameter of that part of the cone with which it isin contact, and consequently is as great as possible, but the speed ofthe vehicle is reduced, say three or four times, in accordance with theratios of the gears. This reduced speed may be employed to help the carto climb backwards up steep slopes (20-25%). l/Vhen descending easygradients which are not dangerous, the power expended is diminished andthe mechanical output of the vehicle is increased by throwing thedriving axle if out of gear and thus avoiding useless running of thetrans mission mechanism. In the case of sharp gradients, the shifting ofthe belt in the opposite direction enables the entire engine power to beutilized as brake power without changing. the direction of rotation ofthe engine shaft; thus a reversal similar to that effected by a steamengine is obtained, the engine, al though continuing to work in the samedirection, acting similarly toa reversible engine. Since the engineoperates a pulley whereof the speed of rotation is much greater thanthat of the ordinary brake drums, it results that a very powerful safetybrake is obtained.

.Brieliy, the present system of transmission by its special combinationpermits of: 1st. Perfect equilibrium and absolute gripping of the beltin all its positions on the cones. 2nd. A direct drive on thedifferential at all speeds. 3rd. Clutching the engine progressively whenstarting, and positive transmission of power after starting. 4th.Changing from forward to backward running without declutching. 5th.Utilizing the engine for braking the vehicle. 6th. 'lhrowing the rearaxle of the transmission out of gear when running down easy gradients sothat it may run free and the rotation of the transmission mechanism tono purpose be avoided. 7th. Obtaining an increase in the range ofvariations of speed afforded by the cones with a less crowdedarrangement of the mechanism.

Claims:

1. An apparatus for the transmission of motion applicable toautomobiles, characterized by the combination of two cones, arranged infront of one another, a shaft upon which the driven cone is slidablymounted a belt connecting the two cones, two pinions of differentdiameters movable along the shaft of the driven cone, a driven shaft,and two toothed wheels carried by the driven shaft and with which thetwo inions can be thrown into mesh, substantnfly as described.

2. An apparatus for the transmission of motion applicable toautomobiles, characterized by the combination of two opposed cone's, ashaft upon which the driven cone is slidably mounted a belt connectingthese two cones, two pinions of different. diameters movable along theshaft of the driven cone, and differential gears with which the saidpinions can respectively be thrown into mesh, substantially asdescribed.-

3. An apparatus for the transmission of motion applicable toautomobiles, characterized by the combination of two cones arrangedopposite one another, a shaft upon which the driven cone is mounted, abelt of trapezoidal section whose inner face is presented at an angle tothe cones to compensate for the inclination of the latter and connectingthese two cones, two pinions of different diameters movable along theshaft of the driven cone, a driven shaft and two toothed wheels carriedby the shaft to be driven and with which the said inions can be throwninto mesh, substantia y as described.

4. An apparatus for the transmission of motion ap licable toautomobiles, characterized by tie combination of two cones arrangedopposite one another, a belt of trapezoidal section composed of strapsarranged edgewise and connecting these two cones, a shaft upon which thedriven cone is mounted two pinions of different diameters movable alongthe shaft of the driven cone, a driven shaft, and two toothed wheelscarried by the driven shaft and with which the said pinions can bethrown into mesh, substantially as described.

, 5. An apparatus for the transmission of motion a plicable toautomobiles, characterized by t e combination of a pair of cones set outof line towards their extremities of greatest diameter, a beltconnecting these two cones, a shaft upon which the driven cone ismounted two pinions of different diameters, movable along the shaft ofthe driven cone, a

drive shaft and two toothed wheels carried by the driven shaft and withwhich the said pinions can be thrown into mesh, substantially asdescribed.

6. An apparatus for the transmission of motion applicable to automobilescharacterized by the combination of a pair of cones set out of linetowards their extremities of greatest diameter, a belt connecting thesetwo cones, a friction clutch having dogs arranged between the shaft ofthe motor and the shaft of the driving cone, a shaft upon which thedriven cone is mounted two pinions of difierent diameters movable alongthe shaft of the driven cone and two toothed wheels carried by thedriven shaft and with which the said pinions can be thrown into mesh,substantially as described.

7. An apparatus for the transmission of motion a plicable toautomobiles, characterized by t e combination of a pair of cones set outof line towards their extremities of greatest diameter, a belt oftrapezoidal section connecting these two cones, a motor shaft, afriction clutch with dogs arranged between the shaft of the motor andthe shaft of the driving cone, a shaft upon which the driven cone ismounted two pinions of different diameters movable along the shaft ofthe driven cone, a driven shaft, two toothed wheels carried by thedriven shaft, and with which the said pinions can be thrown into mesh apulley for reversing the vehicle, loosely mounted on the shaft of thedriven cone adjacent to the

